Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-08-04
"cOUNTRY CUSTOMERS"


The Good Fortune Which Grew Out OF
Johns " ell Directed POiiteness.
John Harvey had been n clerk in a
country store i'm Vermont since he was
fifteen years cd. and he was now
twenty. H. had been reared and ed
ucated By his mother. who was no
longer very young when John was
born. and consequently entering upon
the infirmities of Old age when her
boy had arrived at the years of man.
hood. Her husband was long since
dead.
John was a handsome country lad,
active. Obliging and courteous. These
qualities attracted the attention OF n
New York merchant who was spend
ing a summer month in Vermont, and
he offered him situation in his store.
Although Johns mother knew how
more than lonely she would be without
her boy, she felt how valuable this
chance would prove to him. and so
gave her consent to his going.
Il know my boy will not forget his
mother" she said. '.And one thing.
nv child" she added. ''let me impress
upon you. You will be surrounded by
giddy fellow-c!erks. many who will
look with contempt upon humbly-clad
people who come to buy. and only
serve them with rcluctance-perhaps
rudeness. Never forget your mother.
and that the humblest woman may be
somebody's dear old mother. And re-
member. too. what you have many
times read in your school reader. that
Appearances are often dcceiving. and
that well-filled purse may lie in the
pocket of rusty coat.
That was the mothers advice, and it
turned out that John needed it. The
great iron dry-goods shop in Broad
way. with its white facade and count
ers inside heaped high with marvellous
fabrics. was indeed a change to John.
and the richly and astonishly dressed
women in great contrast to the country
danes in un-bonnets and bingham
gowns that he had been accus-
toned to serve Bat now and
then came customers from the
country; there was no installing
them. Their dresses had homemade
look and their bonnets utterly lacking
the peculiar audacity of city hats.
They preferred :heir requests in tim
i'll way, as if feeling lost and strange.
and uncertain if they had any business
in so grand a shop; the clerks snubbed
them or were insolent But to John
the country faces were always pleas
ant, and he was invariably so notice
ably kind to rural customers that his
counter very soon became the center
of country custom. His fellow-cleras
would sing out. when there was an APP
pearance of country cousins" Gus
toners for you. Harvey or, Here
come some ofHarvey's friendsr'
But one day the country women
missed the every obliging clerk" and
upon inquiry were told that he had
been transferred to the cloak depart
ment Very well! one old lady who
had young girl with her said she
wanted to buy a cloak. So upstairs
they wcnt-a quaint-looking pair that
set tho clerks in giggle.
and they slyly winked and
biinked at each other rs they
sent round the pass-w ord: "Harvey's
friends" Good luck to you. Har-
vey." laughed one. '.Now's your
chance to get rid of those last year S
beaver sacques! May be they will go
as high rs ten dollars:'
But if the old lady and her niece had
been dowager and princess. they could
not have been more courteously treat
ed than they were by John. ''She is
somebody's dear old mother. I'll war
rant" he said to himself, and then in
q pleasant manner asked her what she
| would like to see.
..Velves cloaks!' she replied.
John took from the hooks of the
wardrobes cloaks varying in price from
fifty to three hundred dollars. The
clerks kept up their fun at Johns ex-
pense. but he did not care. After con-
siderable delay in making up her
mind, the old lady said she wanted
some furs aud would like to see how
such and such furs would look over
velvet cloak valued 1t two hundred